Morrell (SB 47) Act No. 345
Prior law provided that the public water, sewerage, and drainage systems of the city of New
Orleans shall be constructed, controlled, maintained, and operated by the Sewerage and
Water Board of the city of New Orleans.
Prior law provided that the board is composed of the mayor, three members of the city
council, one of whom is required to be an at-large member of the council, two members of
the board of liquidation, city debt, and seven citizens, appointed by the mayor, two at large
and one from each of the five councilmanic districts, who are subject to confirmation by the
city council.
New law provides for the board to be composed of the mayor, two syndicate members of the
board of liquidation, city debt, and eight members appointed by the mayor from a list of
nominees submitted by the Sewerage and Water Board Selection Committee. The mayor's
appointments shall include one member from each of the five councilmen's districts within
the city of New Orleans and two members who shall be consumer advocates with community
advocacy or consumer protection experience or experience in a related field. The citizen
appointees are subject to confirmation by the city council.
New law requires that each citizen member shall be a registered voter in Orleans Parish and
shall be domiciled in the parish for two years previous to his appointment.
New law creates the Sewerage and Water Board Selection Committee and provides a process
for selecting a nomination pool of applicants. Also provides that the members of the
Selection Committee will be comprised of the president, chancellor, chair, board of directors
or respective designee of Dillard University, Loyola University, Tulane University, Xavier,
Delgado Community College, University of New Orleans, Southern University at New
Orleans, New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, New Orleans Regional Black Chamber of
Commerce, and the Urban League of Greater New Orleans.
New law requires each nominee to have experience in either architecture, environmental
quality, finance, accounting, business administration, engineering, law, public health, urban
planning, facilities management, public administration, science, construction, business
management, community or consumer advocacy or other pertinent discipline.
Prior law provided that terms of board members are nine years.
New law reduces terms of the eight citizen members and two syndicate board of liquidation,
city debt members appointed by the mayor to four years and prohibits a member from serving
more than two consecutive terms of office. Also provides that in the event any appointed
member is elected to any office or removes his residence from Orleans Parish, his
membership on the board is ipso facto vacated, and his successor shall be immediately
appointed.
Prior law provided that a quorum of the board is seven members and required a vote of nine
board members to change rules adopted by the board.
New law changes the quorum of the board to six members and requires a quorum vote to
adopt or change rules.
Prior law provided for board membership when redistricting or election to office or change
in residency occurs.
New law repeals these provisions.
New law requires that in addition to the detailed annual report to the city council detailing
acts, doings, receipts and expenditures of the board, the board is to make quarterly reports to
the city council relative to contracts let in the construction and repair of its public systems of
water, sewerage, and drainage. New law enumerates the items to be included in the report.
New law requires the board to report to the city council quarterly on its operations. Provides
that such report shall include, in a manner prescribed by the council, certain items including
standard industry metrics for best practices, fraud prevention, employee and contractor performance metrics, benchmarks on coordination of board and department, efficiency and
effectiveness of information systems, assessment and status and strategies for technologies
and operation programs and assessment and status of operational reforms, capital
improvement programs, and service assurance programs.
New law provides that the terms of the members of the Sewerage and Water Board for the city
of New Orleans in office on the effective date of this Act shall terminate on the effective date
of this Act; however, any such member remains in office until his successor is appointed and
takes office.
Effective on the first day of Jan. following an election at which a majority of the voters of the
city of New Orleans approve an amendment to the home rule charter of the city to change the
composition of the board to provide the identical composition of the board as contained in
new law.
(Amends R.S. 33:4071(A), (B), (C)(1), and (E), 4074, and 4091; repeals R.S. 33:4071(C)(2)
and (3))